1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to machines for inserting coils into the holes of papers to create spiral-bound books. More specifically, the invention relates to guides for controlling the movement of the coil as it is rotated into the paper holes.
2. Related Art
In the field of book and notebook binding, machines have been designed for semi-automatic insertion of coils into holes punched along the spine, or edge, of paper, cardboard, or other materials. Typically, a pre-fabricated plastic or metal coil is held with its longitudinal centerline parallel to, and at one end of, the line of holes along the spine of the papers that are to be bound. The machine then rotates the coil around its longitudinal centerline so that the end of the coil is inserted into each consecutive hole, "spiraling" through the holes from one end of the notebook to the other. When the coil end reaches the far end of the notebook, the operator stops the machine, cuts the coil, removes the bound notebook, places a new stack of punched paper on the machine with the holes aligned, starts the coil into the first hole, and restarts the machine.
Several companies produce coil inserter machines that work along these general principles. They are typically desk-size machines for use in photocopy, print, and desk-top publishing shops, and in other businesses that produce instruction or repair manuals, notebooks, pamphlets, and catalogs, for example. The CI3000 Coil Inserter or PC2000 Coil Inserter are two such machines, which are produced by Performance Design Inc., of Boise, Id., 83705.
These coil inserters are typically "semi-automatic" in that the machine rotates the coil to spiral through, theoretically, all of the holes along the book spine. However, all of the coil inserters on the market today require significant operator-interaction and effort. This operator-interaction results from the coil end frequently hitting and binding-up on the paper near the holes, thus stopping the coil's progress through the holes and, in effect, stopping the binding process. When this happens, the machine continues to rotate the coil, thus "winding up" the coil while the coil end is stuck in place. To alleviate this situation, the machine operator must give constant attention to the machine, standing at the front of the machine, continuously watching the binding process and keeping at least one hand on the machine. The operator must frequently dislodge the coil end from its stuck position and nudge the coil end down into the hole so that it continues to spiral through the holes. This process of unsticking the coil end prevents the operator from moving his/her eyes or hands away from the machine while it is running and makes the binding task slower and somewhat tedious.
Solutions to this problem have been to change the size or shape of the holes in the paper or material to be bound. Punching larger holes in the paper, relative to the size of the coil, can help alleviate the problem but tends to make a looser and more tear-prone notebook. Punching oval or elongated holes helps alleviate the problem, but the dies for punching such shapes cost on the order of three times as much as those for punching round holes.
What is needed is a system to make spiral-binding with a coil inserter machine more efficient and less demanding for the operator. What is needed is an inexpensive system for keeping the coil end from binding on the paper and keeping it moving smoothly and continuously through the holes of the notebook paper. What is also needed is such a system that can be applied or retro-fit onto a variety of designs of coil inserter machine.